Black intelligence detectives suing NYPD over alleged promotions bias

NEW YORK (WABC) -- A Federal class action lawsuit was filed Monday on behalf of black detectives who say they were denied promotions for years within the elite Intelligence Division of the NYPD.

The detectives -- Jon McCollum, Roland Stephans and the wife of now-deceased detective Theodore Coleman -- claim the unit's bosses systematically discriminated against them while promoting less qualified and less experienced white detectives.

Back in 2011, the three black detectives filed a federal labor complaint over their assignments to the unit.

After a five-year investigation, the EEOC found last year that the promotion process stymied black detectives.

But the detectives and their attorneys say nothing was done to rectify the situation.

The detectives are represented by the law firm of Emery Celli, Brinkerhoff & Abady LLP and the New York Civil Liberties Union.